Sony Alpha A1 Compact System Camera Body

Key Features

• 50.1MP Exmor RS CMOS Sensor and BIONZ XR Engine
• 30 fps blackout-free shooting
• 8K 30p video recording
• 4K 120p video recording
• Outstanding Resolution and Speed
• Flicker-free electronic and mechanical shutters
• Flash sync with electronic shutter

The Sony Alpha A1 50MP Full-Frame Camera delivers unprecedented resolution and speed. The Alpha A1 provides an impressive 8K video recording, speed and sensitivity, and connectivity. It is characterized by a newly designed 50.1MP full-frame Exmor RS BSI CMOS sensor and the BIONZ XR processing engine. Pairing the efficient stacked sensor design with optimized processing means the A1 is capable of 30fps continuous shooting at full-resolution, 8K 30p and 4K 120p 10-bit video recording, and still provides versatile sensitivity up to ISO 102400 for low light shooting. The sensor's design also includes a 759-point Fast Hybrid AF system, which provides advanced subject tracking and Real-time Eye AF on humans and animals, now including birds.

Outstanding Resolution

It features 8K 30p and 4K 120p video recording in 10-Bit. High Resolution recording benefits 4K editing processes and low bit-rate proxy files with HD resolution can be simultaneously recorded with 8K footage for easier playback. Thanks to A1’s high-resolution sensor and fast processing capabilities, the UHD 8K 30p XAVC HS video recording is possible with 8.6K oversampling for impressive sharpness and realism. Also, recording up to UHD 4K is possible with frame rates up to 120p, using full pixel readout without binning. The Internal 10-bit 4:2:2 sampling is possible in all recording modes and, if recording externally via the full-size HDMI A port, 16-bit raw output is possible for even greater tonal reproduction and post-production flexibility. High-speed, 120 fps recording also allows 4x and 5x slow-motion movie recording with the frame rate playback set to either 30p or 24p or, if moving down to Full HD resolution, an effective 240p frame rate is available.

50.1MP Exmor RS Sensor and BIONZ XR Processor

The newly developed 50.1MP Exmor RS full-frame sensor offers a stacked back-illuminated design with integrated memory that maintains high image clarity, expandable sensitivity up to ISO 102400, and a 15-stop dynamic range while also enabling fast 30 fps shooting and and phase-detection AF. The 50.1MP resolution not only benefits still shooters as it also provides full-frame 8.6K oversampling for 8K video recording. A revised BIONZ XR engine greatly benefits image processing capabilities throughout the camera system, including up to 8x faster processing, greatly reduced rolling shutter, and more fluent interface and file management handling speeds.

Hybrid AF System

The Real-time Eye AF, suitable for both humans and animals, also ensures critical sharpness when shooting portraits. Covering 92% of the image area, a Fast Hybrid AF system incorporates 759 phase-detection points along with 425 contrast-detection areas for quick and precise focusing on a variety of lighting conditions with sensitivity down to -6 EV. This focusing system is available for use in all recording modes, to benefit both video and stills applications. Lock onto subjects quickly using Real-time Tracking for AI-based tracking on moving subjects or touch tracking for manual selection of the subject.

Updated Shutter and Up to 30-fps Shooting

The Updated electronic shutter offers silent, vibration-free performance and supports anti-flicker shooting for working under fluorescent, LED, or other flicker-prone types of artificial light, even while shooting at 30 fps with 120 fps AF speeds. The Efficient sensor design and processing enables high-speed shooting up to 30 fps at full 50.1MP resolution, with full AF and AE capabilities, when working with an electronic shutter. When working with the mechanical shutter, speeds are kept high at 10 fps. Also, a large buffer memory permits recording up to 155 compressed raw frames, or 165 JPEGs, in one single burst at 30 fps. Suiting fast-paced continuous shooting is a blackout-free viewfinder experience, which makes use of a 240-fps refresh rate for fluent eye-level viewing.

Remarkable Body Design

Outstanding QXGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF provides a high 9.44m-dot resolution and 0.9x magnification for exceptionally bright, clear, and detailed eye-level viewing. This viewfinder has a dedicated 240 fps High Quality+ setting for smooth motion rendering and the finder's physical design has a long 25mm eye point, 41° field of view, and features a fluorine coating on the outermost viewfinder element to benefit cleaning. A 3.0" 1.44m-dot tilting screen benefits working from high and low angles. This LCD is a touchscreen, too, for intuitive shooting control and menu navigation. The dual memory card slots both accept either CFexpress Type A or SD-type memory cards. The dual slot design allows for flexible file saving and handling and can be configured to partition file types or can be used for overflow recording. Both card slots are rated to support UHS-II memory cards for faster transfer speeds. The updated menu structure is more intuitive and complements having different workflows and settings selections for movie recording and stills shooting. The menu system also works in conjunction with the touchscreen design of the rear LCD. The magnesium alloy chassis assures rigidity, durability, and stability while remaining lightweight. The lens mount has also been improved to better support heavy lenses, and the grip rigidity has been improved for more comfortable hand-holding.

5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilisation

The enhanced 5.5-stop effective 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization system compensates for five different types of camera shake encountered during handheld shooting of stills and video and allows users to confidently use any lens, even adapted lenses, for critical shooting without encountering blur from camera shake.

Our expert's opinion

The Groundbreaking Sony Alpha 1 Camera Marks a New Era in Professional Imaging. The most technologically advanced, innovative camera that Sony has ever released, the Alpha 1 combines high-resolution and high-speed performance at a level that has never been accomplished in the world of digital cameras. A1 is more than just refined features and performance, this camera is highly reliable and durable. The Sony Alpha A1 empowers professionals with its outstanding features and performance, making this camera a real game changer in the market.